Therealbandit steals in for Cheltenham victory

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A SINGULAR aspect of Martin Pipe’s relentless season is that he passed 100 winners and £1 million in prize-money with no help from his three flagship steeplechasers. It could not go on. After Well Chief’s heroic third in the Tingle Creek Chase, Therealbandit returned to form in the feature race yesterday at Cheltenham, where today Our Vic will surely start favourite for the bonusprint.com Gold Cup.

There was no mistaking the dismay when Therealbandit folded tamely in a hurdle race on this track last month. Even on a magical Saturday when Pipe and his jockey Timmy Murphy shared four winners,